EDITORIAL: Librarian's alertness helps save the day

We were sickened to learn of the case of a 32-year-old man allegedly touching a 9-year-old girl in an inappropriate way at Murfreesboro's Linebaugh Library this past week.

The child was there for a family-style program of music and storytelling. But what should have been a time of innocent fun turned ugly as a grown man lurked around the library's juvenile section.

If not for the watchful eyes of branch librarian Carol Ghattas, the situation could have ended much worse than it did.

As it is, William Young allegedly reached out and touched the girl inappropriately three times. He sits in jail on a $150,000 bond, awaiting a court date set for Aug. 21. He's been charged with three counts of aggravated sexual battery of a minor.

He's there because the soft-spoken Ghattas, who helped to host the day's library program, noticed something out of place. A man was in the nonfiction juvenile section, alone. She watched him, sensing something was not quite right while all around her 200 to 300 children and their parents enjoyed the musical program going on in the children's section.

Then, she says, she saw the man reach out and touch a child. And this humble librarian, this wife and mother of two, put a stop to it.

While we have always held in high esteem the library and its employees, Ghattas' alertness to the situation and quick action lead us to conclude that this librarian rocks.

"Things happened very quickly," Ghattas said. "The mother was notified about what happened to the child."

And the mother did what any mother would do, she confronted the alleged perpetrator, who then fled the scene. Police found him and arrested him later at a local motel.

The incident appears to be isolated, but anytime a program is geared toward families, it makes a natural hunting ground for those who want to hurt children. That is why Linebaugh Library's policy was updated earlier this year to require children 12 and younger to be supervised by an adult.

But it's so easy to look away just for a moment, to get lulled into a false sense of security as children around you sing along, laugh and dance to the music around them.

We are thankful Ghattas and her staff were there this time to keep a bad situation from getting worse. However, we join with Murfreesboro Police Major Clyde Adkinson to encourage parents to be ever diligent in watching their children.

"You want to think things are safe everywhere, but they are not anymore," Adkison said. "Child predators are everywhere, and they watch. The main thing is never take your eyes off your children."

Not even for a moment.

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EDITORIAL: Librarian's alertness helps save the day

We were sickened to learn of the case of a 32-year-old man allegedly touching a 9-year-old girl in an inappropriate way at Murfreesboro's Linebaugh Library this past week.